Aftermath
by Samantha J. Mulder
Summary: With Tai and Matt gone, the rest of the digidestined try to sort out their lives. Taiora, Takari and maybe a bit of Mimoe.*Part 2 added*
1. Lost Love, Found Family (Sora's Story)

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Aftermath

Sequel to _Digital Deception_

Part 1: Lost Love, Found Family

(Sora's Story)

It was over. The final battle was over and the digital world was at peace again. It's safety lay in the hands of a new generation of digidestined, under the advisement of the older teens. Yet, they still carried the scars. Their lives had all change in dramatic ways, especially 17 year old Sora Takenouchi who had lost her true love but rediscovered the family she always had. This is her story…

The day was cloudy, frigid and dreary and an icy wind blew through the reddish hair of Sora Takenouchi as she sat in solitude on the empty beach. The weather mirrored her emotions perfectly. She stared out the vast ocean feeling as dark and dismal as her surroundings. She stretched out on the sand and closed her eyes. Pictures flashed before her. Memories of a time long ago when she knew how to smile and when she had something to live for. Images of a handsome, smiling, brown-eyed young man made her heart wrench in pain. The young man was Taichi Kamiya. Her Taichi. The one person she loved more than anything in the world. The one part of her life that made her happy. Yet that was all gone now. Tai was gone, betrayed and murdered by someone he though was his friend and teammate. 

Sora felt like she could never be happy again. Tai had been her whole world. It was from him that she learned what love and friendship really meant. They had been best friends since pre-school and had fallen in love in their early teenage years. Now that he was gone, Sora hit an emotional low. She had no one tho confide her feelings in, no one to be there when she needed a shoulder to cry on, no one to love her. Sure, she had a mother who supposedly loved her but her home life wasn't the best. She and her mom constantly fought and could never quite see eye to eye on things. This just pulled her father into this dark depression. 

As she sat there alone on the desolate beach, Sora's mind played old memories over and over again. These memories showed Sora at her happiest. She and Tai on their first date, their first kiss, the time she had a crush on Matt for a week or so only to wake up and realize she was head over heels for Tai. 

One memory seemed to stick out in her head. It ran over and over again like a detailed movie. A clear, star-filled night, two figures silhouetted by the moonlight…it all came rushing back. Sora saw Tai pull a younger version of herself into his arms, brush a stray strand of hair out of her eyes then whisper "I love you" to her for the first time in the four month relationship. That was the first time Sora felt at peace with the world. Those three words from Tai had made all her troubles disappear and had made her life worth living. Now it seemed she had no real purpose in life.

Sora was so deep in thought she didn't notice it had started to rain until she opened her eyes. She stood up, wiped the water from her face with her shirtsleeve, then grabbed her backpack and headed home. She reached her apartment before the storm really hit, but was still soaked. Nonetheless, her mom jumped on her the second she walked in.

"Sora!"

"Yeah?"

"Do you know what time it is?"

Sora looked at her watch. "4:32"

"And what time did I tell you to be home?"

"4:30. So I'm two minutes late. No big deal."

"It doesn't matter, you're still late. And why are you wet?"

"It's raining."

"Oh. Well, the kitchen still isn't clean and neither is your room."

"I told you I'd do when I got home. I'm home now and I plan to do it."

"I work hard all day and I expect to come home to a clean house and a clean daughter!"

"Well pardon me, queen of the universe! Since when does the world revolve around you?"

"Since when does it revolve around _you! _You've been off all day doing who knows what with those friends of yours!"

"If you haven't noticed, I haven't got any friends anymore!"

"What about what's-his-name, Tai. Your boyfriend. I bet you're-"

"Mom! Tai died!"

"Or so you say!"

"Why can't you be more sensitive? You have no clue what's going on in my life, so you have no right to make accusations like that! You just don't understand me! You can't take your anger about life out on me just because I'm here! I have enough problems of my own!"

"Sora-"

Sora cut her mom off and continued. "If you really cared about me, you'd take a little time out of your life to get to know me. Then you'd know how much I loved Tai, how much I miss him and how my life is nothing bu a jumble of dark days filled with depression!"

"I don't care how screwed up your life is, you still have no right to talk to me like that! I work hard all day only to come home to a depressed mess of a daughter who can't get over a boy!"

"That's it! I can't take it anymore! I'm out of here!"

Sora grabbed her backpack and headed for the door. 

"Where are you going?"

"Dunno. Anywhere but here." With that Sora stormed out the door, leaving her mother thunderstruck.

The rain was coming down in sheets by now and Sora wandered aimlessly down the streets, cold, wet and confused. She was splashed by passing cars and the rainwater mixed with the tears already running down her face.

"Suicide," she thought. "That's the only way out of all this. I've just got to end it all. Tai's gone, my mom doesn't care…no one'll miss me. I know there's a bridge somewhere around here…" She took off, her sneakers splashing in water as she ran.

Sora stopped abruptly a few minutes later in front of an apartment building. She had noticed a light left on outside an apartment on the third floor. She recognized the building immediately and soon found herself on the doorstep if that apartment. 

This apartment was very familiar to her. The flowers, the doormat and especially the worn brass nameplate on the door that read "Kamiya" in shining letters. 

"Tai's old apartment…" she thought. "How's I end up here? What'll his family say when they see me…" 

Sora rang the doorbell and a second later the door was opened by Mrs. Kamiya. She took one look at Sora and said, "Sora! Sora, what's wrong sweetie?"

Sora's voice was shaking as she answered, "I….I-I had a fight with my mom…can't o home…I-I…" she burst into tears and was unable to finish. 

Mrs. Kamiya pulled her inside and hugged her. "It's ok, Sora. You poor thing. Come on, let's get you a hot shower and dry clothes."

Twenty minutes later, Sora felt much better after she had a shower and was dry. "Thank you so much, Mrs. Kamiya. You don't know how much this means to me."

Mrs. Kamiya smiled warmly and replied, "It's no problem, dear. We consider you as much a part of the family as Kari. You can stay as long as you need to. You meant so much to Tai was he was alive, he wouldn't have wanted it any other way."

That night as Sora sat in the Kamiya's living room, she felt like she was home for the first time in years. She looked around the room and felt like she belonged. Mr. Kamiya was sitting in an easy, chair reading a newspaper, Kari, Tai's younger sister, was sitting next to her on the couch, lost in a novel. The thing that really caught Sora's eye was a table crowed with pictures of Tai. She noticed she was in several of the pictures and that made her feel even more comfortable.


	2. A New Hero (TK's Story)

Aftermath ****

Aftermath

Sequel to _Digital Deception_

Part 2: A New Hero

(TK's Story)

What is a hero? Someone who rescues damsels in distress? A "superman" who isn't affected be real-life problems? Maybe to Hollywood but real hero are those people who would risk anything for those they love and have a positive effect on everyone around them. Taichi Kamiya was a hero. He was a hero to the digidestined for his courage, bravery and leadership. He was a hero to his sister and the girl he loved, but he was also a hero to Takeru Takashi. TK had looked up to Tai, as well as his brother, and in his absence, TK felt it was his job to be the new hero. This is his story…

Takeru Takashi stared at the computer screen from behind Yolei as she brought up a map of the digital world. "That dark force is spreading," she said, typing fast.

Ken Ichijoji put a hand on her shoulder saying, "I know but what do we do?"

Davis Myiomoto clenched his fists and shouted, "We go to the digital world and fight it! Right now!"

TK spoke up, "No, not right now."

Everyone turned to him.

"We don't know about this enemy to fight it yet. We'll get ourselves killed."

Davis let his temper get the best of him yet again. He stood an inch from TK's face and shouted, "What if this evil thing takes over the digital world while we sit here and do nothing? Huh, TS?"

Kari quickly jumped to the blonde's defense. "Davis! His name is TK! And he's right. Besides, its late, we should all go home and get some sleep."

"Right," agreed TK. "C'mon Kari, I'll walk you home."

"Thanks, TK." Kari took his hand and they left, leaving Davis dumbstruck with his mouth hanging open.

"TK?" Kari said softly as they walked.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"For making sure Davis doesn't get us killed."

"Sure. Someone has to do it Kar."

"Yeah…you know, his heart is in the right place but his head is on Mars."

They reached the Kamiya apartment and shared a deep kiss before TK whispered, "Good night Kari. I love you."

"I love you too. See you tomorrow."

TK reluctantly let go of her; he had a strange premonition that something bad was going to happen but he just shook it off and headed home.

It turned out, however that TK was right. That night as he tossed and turned in bed, his d-terminal went off, waking him from his restless sleep. The device showed a very fuzzy distress call from Kari. TK threw on some clothes and head down towards the beach.

TK ran into the Yolei and the others on the way to the cliff over looking the ocean. He knew Kari was back in that alternate dimension; that whatever had tried to get her before had her now. 

Once the group had assembled on the cliff, Cody said, "Kari is that other dimensions again, huh TK?"

Davis, still in his pajamas, shouted, "Where ever she is, I've got to save her!"

TK looked at Davis and said calmly, but firmly, "No, Davis, I have to."

"No way, TJ! Kari's MY girl! I'm gonna save her!"

"Davis, she's not your girl! She's my girl and she loves ME."

"I don't care I'm still gonna save her."

"You don't understand, I have to save her."

"Why? I love her just as much as you do!"

"That's not it, Davis. True, I love her more than anything but that's only part of the reason. I promised Tai when he died that I would protect Kari in his place. He asked to take care of her and I plan to do just that. You have to understand, Davis that if I let you go instead of me, I'd be breaking a promise to a hero."

"Tai told YOU to look after Kari?" Davis was stupified by this news.

Yolei, who'd been quiet until now, spoke up. "TK, you have to let me go with you! Kari's one of my best friends…I couldn't live with myself if something happened to her."

"I'm sorry, Yolei, I have to do this alone."

"But TK…"

Ken took her hand, saying, "Yolei, this is something he has to do. Let him go."

"O-ok, Ken…. TK, go get Kari back for us!"

"Right!" TK held his digivice in his hand and, with Patamon by his side, stepped off the cliff and into the alternate dimension. 

He soon found himself on the same dark beach, yet this time it seemed more foreboding. The atmosphere was strangely calm except for an odd light coming from a cave. TK went to investigate and discovered a legion of Divermon guarding an unconscious Kari tied to a pole. A dark figure TK couldn't make out loomed behind her. As TK advanced, the dark figure came into the light. He stopped dead in his tracks; he had come face to face with…. himself. 

TK turned to Patamon and whispered, "You take out the Divermon while I deal with…well…me."

"Got it…Patamon armor digivolve to….Pegasusmon!"

As his digimon worked on the Divermon, TK stared into a pair of deep blue eyes that matched his own except the compassion had been replaced by ice. 

"Who are you?" TK asked.

"I'm you." The stranger replied.

"That's impossible."

"No. I'm the opposite of everything you stand for. Where you have love, compassion and kindness, I have hatred, and violence. Where you have friendship, I have solitude. I was created out of pure evil for the single purpose of destroying you."

"But why put Kari in the middle? I don't care what you do to me, but I swear, hurt Kari and I'll-"

"Your courage sickens me. I had to use her. It was the only way to ensure that you'd come. I know how much you love her and how you could never break that promise."

TK was shaking from anger by now. "I can't believe…You…I.." Without a second thought, he threw the hardest punch he could mange strait at his twin's nose. He flew back and hit the wall of the cave, rendering him unconscious. TK, quickly untied Kari, located his digimon, who had finished off the Divermon, and headed back the real world.

That night, Kari woke up to find herself on a couch in a strangely familiar. She looked up into a pair of concerned azure eyes. "T-TK?" she questioned.

"Yeah, it's me Kar." 

"What happened? The last thing I remember was getting pulled into that dimension again...seeing someone who looked like you...then…then I can't remember anything else..."

"Well…" TK launched into the story of the events and she listened with solemn interest. When he was finished she asked,

"So, you came and rescued me again? Even though you knew…."

"Kari, I almost had to give my life in place of yours and I'd do it again. I promised Tai I'd look after you but more importantly, I love you."

Kari threw her arms him and said, "I love you too, TK. Thank you for saving me and being my best friend…. And just everything…."

TK smiled. "No problem…" He put a hand on her cheek and stared deep into her crimson eyes for a moment before kissing her deeply and passionately.

"TK?" Kari said as the kiss broke.

"Yeah?"

"You're my hero."

"Thanks."

As TK held Kari in his arms, he knew he had kept a promise to a hero and would continue to for the rest of his days so, because of this, he had become the new hero.

THE END

A/n: I'm sorry I took so long to get this up, I've been real busy. I'll have the third part up ASAP, so don't worry, k? Please review!!


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